2020 Vol 14, Issue 5 November Gem Lake News

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Gem Lake News Page 2 of 6 Just in case you haven’t had your fill of elections, Gem Lake is going to hold another one on February 9. W hy? To make a long story short, it has to do with the date our late Mayor died. His death created an open spot on the council, when the back-up mayor stepped into the spot as acting mayor. We missed the deadline to get the third opening on our council on the regular ballot. The two that appeared on the ballot this November 3 were due to terms being up. Gretchen Artig-Swomley’s spot on the council became vacant and was then filled temporarily by the appointment of Laurel Amlee. Then Laurel ran for one of the two normally open spots and won one of them . She now serves for four years starting in January of 2021. That leaves the original opening left vacate by Gretchen becoming acting mayor. That term would have expired in December of 2022. That means the spot up for special election on February 9 will be a two- year term, not a four-year term, as would be normal. If you are interested in running for this opening, here are some of the deadlines to keep in mind: December 1-15 is the Candidate Filing Period. You can get a form from Heritage Hall or on-line, pay a small fee and file to run for this position. December 15-17 is the withdrawal period, just in case you change your mind. February 6 Absentee Voting begins and runs from 10-3 p.m. February 8 absentee voting closes at 5 p.m. February 9—Election Day! If you are interested in this spot, any member of the council can give you more information on serving on the city council. There is a bit of work involved, but you may find it fun and you will be doing something for your community. Special Election to be Held on February 9 Archery Deer Hunt Approved The Gem Lake City Council approved an archery deer hunt permit at the October 20 City Council Meeting. The permit covered a hunt to be conducted during several weekends in late October and early November on private property on the south end of Gem Lake. To obtain the permit, the property owner applicant, Anthony Scornavacco, was required to go through an extensive application process and obtain written permission to conduct the hunt from all adjoining property owners. The hunt itself will be conducted by trained and licensed bow hunters. All 11 hunters who are part of the event had to produce not only their deer hunting permits, but also proof that they had completed the Minnesota Advanced Hunter Education Program. Deer stands had to be diagramed in advance to be sure they were far enough away from buildings and other obstacles to a safe event. A summary of the event will be published in a future newsletter. Recreational Fires in Your Backyard (continued from page 1) From the city clerk, which has been appropriately executed by the Fire Marshal. Recreational or cooking fires supervised by an adult and which are fully contained within approved fire rings, pits or appliances not greater than three feet in diameter shall be exempt from the permit requirement, providing no fire bans have been issued by the Fire Marshal or the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.